Rants and Ramblings from the cynical little old lady who lives inside my head

Monday, September 8, 2008

This Independent voter is not very impressed with this "Blind Date" that John McCain has set America up on with Sarah Palin, but I'm hearing snippets from women who are smitten with this woman who has captured the hearts of conservative females with one scripted speech. I heard several women gushing over Sarah Palin over the weekend and frankly, their basis for Superfandom seemed to have as much substance and reasoning, in my opinion, as hunting animals with rifles from helicopters for sport...which Sarah Palin does proudly.

I've figured out why Sarah Palin bothers me so much...She is the pretty Pied Piper of the same old shit and she's got her Right Wing sheep eating out of her hand by parroting teleprompted, scripted Old Cronie hearsay.

I sincerely would LOVE to see a woman in the White House that I believe in. I would sincerely LOVE to see that milestone crossed in my lifetime. But not by this woman. I wasn't a Hillary supporter either, but that was because I've been an Obama supporter from the get go. Hillary irritated me, but at least I supported most of her issues. And I respect her.

I have to admit, by tapping into the female chromosome gene pool as a weapon and trying to steal the message of Change that Obama has been fighting and striving for since the beginning, John McCain's a lot dirtier of a politician than I gave him credit for. I never really had anything personal against him about his character, just opposition to where he stands on issues, but now he's just gotten pathetic to me.

To think this whole time, I thought he was just a POW American War Hero, you know, considering that is all I think he really rides on to get where he is. That's all I ever hear his campaign talking about. Oh, and his marrying into millions and in-lawed political connections didn't hurt either....anyways...

The Republican party is trying to redefine feminism to fit their needs to keep their party in office and it's disgusting. The mass majority of these right wing, conservative Christian men and women who are throwing around the "sexism" and "feminism" cards were once so quick to criticize and scrutinize the very word "feminism"- calling feminists "feminazis" and angry, man-hating liberals- and now they suddenly want to own the word and use it for their benefit. For a party who seems to have rejected the word for so long, they sure are excited to use it now.

It's so hypocritical and amazing to me how easily the masses can be distracted and swayed by a pretty face- so much so that so many, including so many of my fellow independents, fail to recognize that although she can woo an audience with her small town accent and smug snipes at the Left, she has no clear message other than regurgitating the same old message that everyone already knows has failed for the past 8 years.

Same old shit under the guise of a fresh face. She reminds me of those girls you grow up with that are sweet as sugar on the outside to appease adults and teachers, but have that manipulative, mean underbelly that can get away with murder because they are pretty.

Youth and attractiveness really do work as magic in this country. I read a study on politics after television had hit the mainstream and what a difference it made with voting trends during presidential elections. Not to undermine Kennedy, but his good looks had a tremendous effect on "inspiring" more women to get out and vote- it's a historical and statistical fact!

I don't believe that Sarah Palin's romancing her party is any different. More men seem to be OK with having a woman in the White House so long as she looks good.

SO many men were ruthless with Hillary, who isn't "hot" and wore pantsuits and was more of your classic "feminazi" assertive, but Sarah Palin comes along with her beauty pageant hairdo and skirts and smug lipstick comments and suddenly she's America's sassy sweetheart.

Hillary did all the dirty work and took all of the ugly blows, and now Sarah Palin is reaping the benefits without having to actually do anything to earn it. Sarah Palin is not the NEW face of feminism, but she is certainly a different face of it- the anti-feminist who wants to cling to the very messages that keep women getting paid less then men for equal work and could potentially keep women from being able to govern their own bodies, among a laundry list of other things.

I have had several people say things to me along the lines of, "Well, you consider yourself a feminist- I would think that you would be happy to see a woman become vice president," and, "It's sexist to say that a woman couldn't juggle her family and being a Vice President of the United States." La la la la laaaaaaa.

Yes, Sarah Palin is an impressive orator. Yes, Sarah Palin is charismatic. Yes, Sarah Palin is a skilled politician. But we're talking about someone who could end up being the president of the United States here people! She's impressive and strong in her own right, but this is our country we're talking about, not Wasila, Alaska.

Has the Republican party forgotten about John McCain? Who in the hell is actually running for president here? McCain or Palin? Because all I hear about is Palin- and what I DO hear about John McCain is the shit I already knew- he's a war hero POW who likes to call himself Maverick and is older than my grandmother...who is OLD.

I don't find a man who was once moderately Republican who suddenly decides to take a hard turn to the extreme Right- when he was first leaning to the Left (Lieberman)- to win a presidential election to be very Mavericky. I find that to be a cop out of character.

I find myself totally annoyed with the fact that Sarah Palin has a journalism degree but avoids talking to the media because she thinks they are being mean and disrespectful. She was openly bitter and resentful during the RNC, taking shots at the media, wagging her finger at them when she should know better. If she actually paid attention in college- or wait, wait- actually took it seriously instead of focusing so much on her beauty pageants, she would know what journalists DO.

Journalists ask questions. Journalists are the watchdogs. Journalists and the news media are here to relay information that people want to know. Yes, it's an imperfect system that has a tendency to sensationalize, but in all reality- it is what it is and it's all that we've got to access information, however it is put.

Palin is being protected under the wing of her party to keep her away from journalists' prying questions- specifically those that might undermine the "progress" the party has made since her acceptance speech. So she's being primed and coached and briefed beforehand to be prepared to have to speak without tele-prompters or speech writers.

She complains about not talking to the media until they give her respect and stay out of her personal life, when THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME honey!

This is someone who, up until a week and a half ago, no one knew anything about. And now she's poised to take over the second most important job in our country...and we don't have the right to know anything and everything about her?She's sensitive to the media and the public questioning her experience, when any responsible "employer" or recruiter for any job would thoroughly review and inspect her RESUME.

Male politicians have been dealing with that shit since the beginning of time. If we want women in the White House, we have to impose the same standards and practices on them that we do on the mens. It's only fair.

Equality is Equality- not equality when it is convenient.

How many male politicians running for the White House, or who have been in the White House, have had to endure the spotlight on their personal lives via the media? How badly do all of them get scrutinized and studied under a microscope, and questioned and criticized and speculated about, not only as politicians, but as MEN and as husbands and as fathers?

If she wants to play in what has been traditionally a game of the Big Boys, she needs to own up and take it like the men who have done it before her. If she can dish it, which is has proven she is more than capable of doing, she needs to be willing to TAKE it too. If she really "whooped the good ol' boys" then she doesn't have anything to worry about then, does she?

This isn't governing the 48th least populated state in the nation- this is becoming the right hand (wo)man to the leader of the free world.

She is getting all of this credit for being a mother of 5 and having a special needs baby- which is great, and is relatable to American women- but why, on the other hand, don't more MALE politicians get hailed more for being fathers and balancing work and family?

Certain media (ahem~ FOX NEWS) and McCain/Palin supporters are whining, "Oh, stop picking on Sarah Palin and her family," when really, that comes with the territory. This isn't anything new- they aren't special. She thrust her family and all of their issues into the public eye the moment she accepted that nomination.

Pregnant, unwed teenage daughter when you are part of a party who is opposed to sex education and contraceptives and abortion? Of course people are going to talk about it and it's going to be an issue.

Utilizing the condition of your special needs infant as part of your platform in any way, shape or form? Of course people are going to talk about it and it's going to be an issue.

When you throw down your role as a mother as an underlying basis of your platform be prepared for that role to go under the microscope, if that's what your building your character on. I would expect the same from any man crying something like "Integrity" to have his integrity as a man/husband/father put under speculation if he chooses to make it something he builds his character on.

Palin wants the media to stay out of her private life, when, if elected, she plans to help McCain overturn Roe vs. Wade, making her the co-captain of a government that will invade the private lives of ALL AMERICAN WOMEN by retaining control over our reproductive rights.

What I would really like to see, what would really make me respect her more as a woman AND as a leader, is a concise explanation of WHAT IT IS EXACTLY SHE HAS TO OFFER BESIDES BEING A PARROT TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND A HOCKEY MOM WHO USES SARCASM INSTEAD OF ATTACKS WITH SUBSTANCE TO UNDERMINE OBAMA, AND MOST SPECIFICALLY CLARIFICATION OF THIS SUDDEN CRUSADE FOR 'CHANGE' THAT SHE AND MCCAIN ARE SUDDENLY SO ADAMANT ABOUT.

Beer Guardian

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The Cat Metaphor Explained

Cats don't answer to anyone. They are independent creatures who think for themselves and don't take "no" for an answer. If you try to tell a cat what to do, it will look at you like you are crazy and go about its business.

It's not that they aren't smart enough to obey on command, like a dog...oh no. It's quite the opposite. They are smarter because they are intelligent enough to consider their options first and make the choice to say, "Stick your orders up your ass." They practice individual thought and rationale and do things on their own terms and no one else's (which is more than I can say about most human beings).

Cats don't allow themselves to be controlled without a fight (or at least an attitude). They don't express an overt need to be liked and they are quite picky about whom they choose to warm up to.

This is why some people hate them, but little do those people know, cats find those people to be humorously delightful. Those people only make them more resilient and confident in their own rites. So go on cat haters, keep on hating. Cats enjoy people who hate them.